This Driver's ‘Note’ to Other Motorists Caused a Stir: Find Out What It Says!
- Replies 13
We understand that there are a lot of challenging road rules in Australia, which is why here at the SDC, we always like to provide some handy tips whenever we can.
Whether it's advice on safe driving, unknown road rules, or just making sure you stay aware of your surroundings while driving, it's all worth taking notice of.
But one driver's attempt to 'help' other motorists by writing a note has been met with outrage online.
The driver in question left fellow motorists in disbelief after sticking a 'candid' handwritten note to the back window of their vehicle.
The image of the driver's handwritten note was taken by a passing motorist on a Melbourne road and then shared on the popular discussion forum site Reddit.
The note read: ‘I drive slow. Kindly overtake.’
While the driver who posted the photo said they ‘appreciated the heads up’, some Reddit users weren’t impressed.
Others even argued that there was 'no place' for motorists who travel below the speed limit on the road.
‘Driving significantly below the speed limit is dangerous – just like driving over the speed limit is,’ one wrote.
Another commented: ‘Nobody should be going that far under the limit that they need a sign like this on the back of their car.’
While another said that slow drivers are ‘more annoying than speeders’. They went on to say that the speed limit should be followed and that it’s not good for traffic flow to be going slower than what’s recommended.
Someone added that needing a sign to warn others of their driving meant that the driver shouldn’t have been driving on the road in the first place.
‘If anyone drives so slowly consistently enough to need this sign, then they really shouldn’t be driving. They are putting themselves and other road users at risk,’ one explained.
However, others suggested that there may be a valid reason behind the note.
‘I like how everyone is just assuming that this person is a complete snail, and not someone sick of getting tailgated for going completely reasonable speeds,’ one Redditor shared, while another agreed that many were making assumptions that the driver was driving below the speed limit.
‘This is a level of self-awareness and emotional security that I aspire to,’ one said.
‘I used to drive a vintage car and simply put a sign on the back that said “Old car, please pass”. I never really went on the freeways,’ another shared.
There is no clear definition of what ‘driving too slow’ means in road safety, police tend to decide the motorist is driving too slowly if it obstructs the movement of other road users or pedestrians. Then, they can be dealt with under part 2 of Rule 125 of the Australian Road Rules, which applies across all states and territories.
Bear with us, we’re going to get a bit technical here. Under this rule, the category of ‘unreasonably obstructing drivers or pedestrians’ supports the claim above and reads:
‘A driver must not unreasonably obstruct the path of another driver or a pedestrian.’ The exceptions to this rule are:
An example of the second exception was provided in the document, stating that a driver driving abnormally slowly is defined as someone ‘A driver driving at a speed of 20 kilometres per hour on a length of road to which a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour applies when there is no reason for the driver to drive at that speed on the length of road’.
The key reason behind this example is ‘when there is no reason’ for the slower speed.
Do you think the motorist is asking for trouble from other drivers? Or should we all be a little more understanding of others and leave them to drive as they see fit? Would you appreciate seeing this sign? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Whether it's advice on safe driving, unknown road rules, or just making sure you stay aware of your surroundings while driving, it's all worth taking notice of.
But one driver's attempt to 'help' other motorists by writing a note has been met with outrage online.
The driver in question left fellow motorists in disbelief after sticking a 'candid' handwritten note to the back window of their vehicle.
The image of the driver's handwritten note was taken by a passing motorist on a Melbourne road and then shared on the popular discussion forum site Reddit.
The note read: ‘I drive slow. Kindly overtake.’
While the driver who posted the photo said they ‘appreciated the heads up’, some Reddit users weren’t impressed.
Others even argued that there was 'no place' for motorists who travel below the speed limit on the road.
‘Driving significantly below the speed limit is dangerous – just like driving over the speed limit is,’ one wrote.
Another commented: ‘Nobody should be going that far under the limit that they need a sign like this on the back of their car.’
While another said that slow drivers are ‘more annoying than speeders’. They went on to say that the speed limit should be followed and that it’s not good for traffic flow to be going slower than what’s recommended.
Someone added that needing a sign to warn others of their driving meant that the driver shouldn’t have been driving on the road in the first place.
‘If anyone drives so slowly consistently enough to need this sign, then they really shouldn’t be driving. They are putting themselves and other road users at risk,’ one explained.
However, others suggested that there may be a valid reason behind the note.
‘I like how everyone is just assuming that this person is a complete snail, and not someone sick of getting tailgated for going completely reasonable speeds,’ one Redditor shared, while another agreed that many were making assumptions that the driver was driving below the speed limit.
‘This is a level of self-awareness and emotional security that I aspire to,’ one said.
‘I used to drive a vintage car and simply put a sign on the back that said “Old car, please pass”. I never really went on the freeways,’ another shared.
There is no clear definition of what ‘driving too slow’ means in road safety, police tend to decide the motorist is driving too slowly if it obstructs the movement of other road users or pedestrians. Then, they can be dealt with under part 2 of Rule 125 of the Australian Road Rules, which applies across all states and territories.
Bear with us, we’re going to get a bit technical here. Under this rule, the category of ‘unreasonably obstructing drivers or pedestrians’ supports the claim above and reads:
‘A driver must not unreasonably obstruct the path of another driver or a pedestrian.’ The exceptions to this rule are:
a. The driver is stopped in traffic; or
b. The driver is driving more slowly than other vehicles (unless the driver is driving abnormally slowly in the circumstances).
An example of the second exception was provided in the document, stating that a driver driving abnormally slowly is defined as someone ‘A driver driving at a speed of 20 kilometres per hour on a length of road to which a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour applies when there is no reason for the driver to drive at that speed on the length of road’.
The key reason behind this example is ‘when there is no reason’ for the slower speed.
Key Takeaways
- A passing driver took an image of the controversial note, spotted on a Melbourne road, and shared it on Reddit.
- The note read, ‘I drive slow. Kindly overtake.’
- Many Reddit users expressed that there is ‘no place’ for motorists who drive well below the speed limit on the roads.
- Some suggested there may be a valid reason behind the note and that the driver may occasionally be transporting fragile cargo that requires slower speeds.